


Accident

by l8rose



Series: Unforgotten What Ifs [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Accident, Alternate Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe, F/M, Illness, Post Trespasser, Post canon, Unforgotten, ancient elvhen stuff, elvhen artifact, what if
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-12
Updated: 2016-10-17
Packaged: 2018-08-22 01:47:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8268139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/l8rose/pseuds/l8rose
Summary: Ethara Lavellan is the Inquisitor, she has drank from the Vir'abelsan and defeated Corypheus. She has lost her hand to Fen'Harel's magic but she has thrived and still seeks a way to keep him from tearing down the veil.Unfortunately, this has led her to touching an ancient Elvhen artifact. Unplanned consequences have Solas being delivered a message from an unfamiliar half elf.Now the Dread Wolf has come to Skyhold and taken the Inquisitor as he seeks to heal what the artifact has done.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Random thing I wrote while I couldn't sleep while at my relative's house. May continue it, may not. Still unsure.

 

Solas had not seen her in weeks. His agents had told him that she had gone off in search of some old temple and only recently returned to Skyhold but he could not find her dreams any where within the fade. The first few nights had not been a concern. Now that it had continued for several weeks, he was beginning to become concerned. He had never ventured into her dreams fully but her essence within the fade was a comforting force, one he had begun to desperately crave since they met last.

Dreaming was the one place he could see her and not have to consider the space he has put between them. He had desperately wanted to see her, especially after the dream he had where she had taken the place of a woman in his memories. It had been a dream far more erotic then any he could remember. He had even woken to find himself spilled beneath his sheets, and a sense of shame had followed him since then.

Deep down, he knew that was one of the reasons he wanted to see her. If only to assuage his own guilt for allowing his mind to use her likeness in such a way.

He had been relying on his agents within Skyhold for information, and they had informed him that since her last mission, she remained hidden within her rooms and rarely ventured about the keep itself. This only deepened his concern. She was not the type to hide away from her friends, and not from those who relied upon her to lead them. She had always been visible. Something for the people to see and believe in.

He had been one of the people believing in her but there had been worry that she was too visible. A target. How he hated that he helped orchestrate placing her in that position where she would always have threats on her life.

Tonight, however, he was forming a dream based on their little grove, attempting to pull her to him. It was something he had done since he had left her several years ago. An almost apology each night as he filled her dreams with beautiful scenery as if that would make up for what he had done and what he must do.

He shaped the trees as he remembered, the statues towering out among them as the water gently hit the shoreline. Grass sprang into being around his feet as he worked. Making it a perfect replica. Flowers, soft and golden like her eyes, lay out among the few stones and marked a path to the water's edge. It was how he remembered it, and he hoped that she would find it acceptable.

As he worked, he became aware that he was not the only one here within this particular space. There was a presence behind him but he did not recognize it. Turning in surprise, his eyes fell upon a young man.

The man was distinctly human but here in the fade, he could feel that the young man was more then that. The elf blood in his veins sang even as he held himself there in the world of dreams. Solas gave a small nudge with his power, seeking to return the man to his own dreams but he did not move.

Surprise crossed the elf's face when he realized it clearly that this young man was a Dreamer. Not as powerful as he was but enough so that this stranger remained despite Solas' power.

“I will be quick.” The elf blooded human stated, warily eyeing him. “You're needed at Skyhold, she is badly sick.”

The pretense of forming the dream fell away from him as his gaze hardened. His heart fluttered against his chest at the words. If it was dire enough to send someone here to the fade to find him, then there must be something terribly wrong.

“They have not sought help from others?” Solas questioned even as dread clutched at his being.

“They have. Nothing has been able to help.” Came the response. The man held his ground but Solas could see that the man was not comfortable in his presence. “Varric sent me to ask that you return. He said she got sick after touching an elvhen artifact.”

“Did he say anything else?” Solas demanded.

“No. It was a short message.”

Solas felt the flicker in the fade as this young Dreamer sought to flee the fade.

“And how do I know you're telling the truth?” Solas used his power to keep this half-elf from fleeing the dream. He knew that the being before him was powerful but they were nothing compared to him.

“I owed Varric and Hawke, they saved my life. Twice.” The young man said with a glare back at Solas. “If you don't believe me, then find your way into the dreams of one of the Inquisition.”

Solas was taken back by his words but he let the young man leave even as he sought out the dreams within Skyhold. It was easy to slip from one dream to the other, willing himself through the fade as he sought out what he wanted. He had often thought about traveling this way to find his beloved but he had wanted to give her some manner of peace from his presence. Now he wished he had come here much sooner.

There was no dream from her within Skyhold but there were others. The usual dreams of the common every day sort were ignored. The people who fulfilled the roles of servants would offer no answer to him, they could know but their dreams were closer to their lives. Simple hopes and desires or problem solving. Instead he focused on the ones that were the brightest and closest to Ethara. Slipping through the fade easily, he found himself within one of Dorian's.

He had expected the dream to be lavish, even flamboyant, but with just a hint of the chaos from the mage. What he found instead chilled him to the bones.

It was a funeral. He did not need to look twice to see that it was such. It was a style he was unfamiliar with but there were the trappings of Tevinter mixed with what could only be called as warped Dalish. There was even someone saying the Dalish words for the dead while he was sure there was a Chantry sister in there.

The dream had every sign of stress, it was just a jumble of things thrown together as if Dorian was trying to cope with the unevitability of Ethara's death. He would have felt the dream was far more dramatic then it needed to be but Solas couldn't even bring himself to find it amusing given the reasoning behind the dream.

Dorian was leaning over an unlit funeral pyre, words of denial being uttered against the still form that lay there. It was clear that it was her, dressed in an elvhen styled dress with her hair draped over her shoulders. He could distinctly make out that Dorian was saying he should have tried harder. Could have done more.

It was unsettling.

Solas did not wait to hear what else Dorian was going to say as he slipped from that dream into waking.

He told only Abelas that he was going and the sentinel said nothing, merely followed him through the keep and then into the eluvian. Like a shadow, the other elf moved behind him as they quickly traveled from one eluvian to the next.

It was a secret thing that he had arranged an eluvian to be within Skyhold. Hidden deep within one of the rooms far beneath the main hall, he had kept it there should he ever need to flee the Keep when he had been just an apostate. Now it aided him in returning.

There were guards but they were of little concern to him or to Abelas. A simple spell had them collapsing to the ground in slumber. He had considered the idea of killing them but they were her people, so they were permitted to live another night. Slipping through the hallways, they were met with little resistance until they came to the door where Cassandra stood. The Seeker looked tired but alert, her eyes watching them with caution as they approached.

Her eyes focused on him as she lifted up her shield in an almost careless manner but he knew better. The posture looked relaxed, yet he knew she was ready to spring at him and Abelas should it be needed. Once they had been allies but he doubted that friendliness would still continue towards him.

“Why are you here?” She demanded.

“I mean you no harm, Seeker.” Solas responded truthfully even as his eyes darted towards the door behind her. “Although it seems I was expected for you to be standing here.”

“You were not expected, no one could contact you.” Her voice was almost accusatory.

It was clear that she was unaware that Varric had called in a favor to get him here. He wondered exactly how many people were aware of the lengths the dwarf was willing to go in order to help Ethara.

“Then why are you standing guard at her door?” Solas asked.

“That is no concern of yours.” Cassandra responded.

Solas wondered what they had come to think of him, he guessed that Ethara had told them everything she had learned when she had met him last. His gaze darkened a little as he regarded the human. He would play nice but he would tear Skyhold to the ground to get to Ethara if he needed to.

Abelas took a step forward but Solas raised his hand to still the sentinel from approaching any closer. The other elf frowned for a moment but remained silent.

“Seeker, I have no wish to engage in combat with you.” He said it simply and clearly. Somehow, he managed not to sound too angry with her as he knew that she was only doing this out of concern for Ethara.“Please move aside.”

Cassandra looked hesitant but she did as he asked, stepping aside to allow him to pass through. Her grip on her sword was white knuckled and she made no move to lower either that or her shield.

“Only you, then.” She said. “Your guest remains here.”

Solas nodded to her request and Abelas moved a few steps away to lean against the wall. It was a relaxed position for the sentinel but Solas knew the man would come the moment he needed him, not that Solas was incapable of defending himself.

It crossed his mind that this could be a trap as he strode through the hallway but the thought fled the moment he arrived at the inner doorway leading to Ethara's chambers.

Scorch marks lined the walls. Stones blackened in small bursts of flame. He had seen such a thing before, when a young mage had come into their power but he knew his beloved was beyond that level of mage. She was powerful, perhaps one of the most powerful mages in Thedas, although not quite trained as far as her abilities would allow her. He had considered training her once but that would have revealed too much of himself.

He pushed those thoughts from his mind as he pushed open the inner door and he stopped as he felt the difference between this place and the hall below.

He could feel the ambient magic in the air. There was magic flowing all over his skin in a way that he could only describe as chaotic. It was the combination of a bubbling stream and the sparks from a fire. He could feel Ethara's magic beneath it, fueling whatever maelstrom of magic energy this was. Every single fiber of his being screamed that it felt wrong.

There was no way this could be from Ethara, she was not so careless with magic nor should anything affect her so badly that she would react like this. A cold knot of worry tangled up in his stomach as he considered that he might not have been in time to save her from his magic. The anchor had bound itself into her flesh, and into her soul, it had twined itself so completely in what she was that he almost could not pull it from her.

_What if he had been too late?_

He strode up the stairs even as the smell of herbs hit his nose. He recognized the usual ones for healing but there were others that were almost foreign to him. There was a question in his mind but he did not voice it as he came to the top of the stairs and found himself face to face with Commander Cullen.

The golden haired human stood with a sword in his hand, eyes narrowed and fixed on Solas as he looked back. Part of him was annoyed to find this man in Ethara's chambers but he understood why Cullen was here, just as he understood why Cassandra was here. It would require a templar to deal with her magic if it went out of control and Cullen was the only templar she trusted.

Solas did not just look at the man, carefully examining the room as discreetly as he could without drawing the man's attention. The chambers were as he remembered, the large curtained bed sitting in the center of the room with the dresser nearby. He noted that the doors out onto the balcony were closed, something he guessed that they had done in concern for her health as she had almost always left them open. There were tables near the bed. Potions and half drunk vials.

“Solas.” Cullen said calmly but he did not move.

“I am in no mood, Commander.” Solas responded as he took another step. “You will move, or I will move you.”

Cullen was about to say something when a voice from the curtained bed spoke. It was hoarse and sounded tired.

“Cullen?” The voice was distant, almost in pain. The voice was wrong. Coarse and rough.

“I am here, Inquisitor.” Cullen seemed to hesitate, unsure whether to go to the bed or to stand there impeding Solas' passage further.

“Something... to drink...”

The sound of her voice was wretched. It clawed deep into him as he heard it, that terrible sound of a voice that was once lyrical and gentle. He reached with his senses and he could feel her there. She had become bonded to him like a sentinel and that connection let him examine her without seeing her.

She felt small and weak with her magic spilling from cracks. It was the only way he could explain it to himself. There were things in her magic, old things that were like splinters and worming their way deeper.

“Please.” Solas said simply to Cullen which seemed to win the war, at least to allow him closer to the bed.

Cullen lowered the sword, placing it on a table as he walked towards a pitcher. Solas tentatively walked towards the bed, almost dreading to see what lay beyond. He waited until Cullen pulled the curtain back and gently held the glass to her lips.

They should have been a soft red, plush but these were pale and dry. There were dark circles beneath her eyes, huge bruises against her pale skin that had taken on an almost yellow pallor. Those eyes that were normally full of curiosity and wisdom seemed to possess a strange glow. A pulsing of energy that was almost too faint for him to notice.

“Vhenan...” His voice was soft as he approached the bed.

“Solas?” Ethara turned her head in his direction, sweat breaking out on her forehead at the exertion. “Why... why are you here?”

“I heard you were ill.” He responded, sliding next against the bed as Cullen moved to return the glass. “Tell me what happened.”

“We were...” She took a deep breath and he regretted asking her the question.

“They were in the Brecilian Forest.” Cullen provided, standing near the foot of the bed. Closer to where his sword was but he made no move to grab the weapon. “Our scouts had been examining the temple there when they discovered an area untouched by the Dalish or the humans that lived in the area. The artifact was hidden away as part of a statute of Mythal.”

Solas frowned, but he did not look towards Cullen. He let the man speak but his gaze remained fixed on Ethara, watching as she struggled to breathe. His hand came out, resting just over her chest. He pushed his own magic into her. Using it to heal what he could but he knew that it would not be enough. It was going to take a lot of magic to heal her but he wasn't even fully certain what he was dealing with.

“Where is the artifact?” Solas questioned, keeping his hand over Ethara's chest as he felt out what was the thing making her ill. Those little splinters of magic felt like his own magic, but twisted with something else wedged into them.

“Dorian has it in his possession, he was the only one we trusted with it.” Cullen answered. “It appears to have gone dormant after she touched it. No one else has appeared to suffer any ill effects from it and nothing we do has been able to improve her condition much.”

Ethara went to talk but Solas shook his head at her. He did not want her speaking when he could feel such discord with her magic and her very being. One of his hands came to rest gently against her damp skin and he could feel the heat rising against his fingers.

“What happened after she touched it?” Solas asked even as he cast a spell. It reached out towards Abelas, a simple spell that shared the knowledge of the artifact and where to find it. He knew Abelas would understand without him blatantly asking the man to collect it.

“She was knocked unconscious.” Cullen continued. “She did not wake for several days.”

“When was this?” Solas questioned.

“Roughly two weeks and three days ago.”

Solas flinched. He knew that time frame, but that was a coincidence. It had to be. The dream came unbidden to his mind, a dream that had been like a memory of a time long ago when he was young.

He was thankful for the brief response from Abelas, signaling the man had done as asked. Another look at Ethara had him firm in his resolve.

“She has been feverish since she woke.” Cullen continued, unaware of Solas' plan.

“I understand.” Solas said as he leaned closer and slid his arms beneath Ethara, scooping her from the bed. There was no strength in her to fight him as he pressed her close to his chest. She struggled for a brief moment before he willed her to sleep. There was a brief accusatory look, even in distress as she was, before she drifted off.

She felt light, far more light then she should be. Now that the blanket was off, he could see that she had lost some weight. Her limbs looking too angular and not quite soft enough. The roundness of her curves had been lost by the illness that wracked her body. He found himself clinging to her tightly but gently, afraid that she would break to pieces in his arms.

“What do you think you're doing?” Cullen demanded.

“Taking her where she can be healed properly.” Solas turned towards the other man, letting his power flow over him.

“I won't... lee -” The Commander of the Inquisition struggled to keep himself upright as the compulsion to sleep came over him. The man's eyes drooped even as his sword fell from his hand, dropping to his knees. “- no...”

“Ir abelas, Commander.” Solas said with a sad smile.

He strode with purpose even as his magic reached forward to target Cassandra before he was even at the door. She was slumped against the wall by the time he arrived, peacefully sleeping despite her attempt to guard the door.

“Sleep well, Seeker.”

Abelas was waiting for him inside the door leading to the lower levels.

The look the other elf gave Ethara made it clear that Solas was right in his decision to take her from Skyhold. It was a fleeting look but it was there long enough that Solas saw it. The look had been somewhere between concern and surprise, a look that Abelas only wore because the sentinel had become aware of exactly how important the Dalish elf was. The look that followed also made it clear that Abelas recognized the artifact.

He sighed as they stepped towards the eluvian but only spoke the moment they were through to the other side.

“You know what artifact it is.” Solas stated as their vision adjusted to the grey expanse of the crossroads before them.

“I do. As do you, Fen'Harel.” Abelas answered, his gaze fixed more on the woman in Solas' arms. There was an almost curious expression on the elf's face as he regarded her, like he was puzzling out over this new development.

Solas did not answer as a feeling of dread came over him. Of all the things they had to find, it had to be something of the All Mother's and all of the people to touch it, it had to be her.

She was going to kill him when she found out.

If she survived.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stating this here in case there ends up being some confusion. Ethara is not quite straight up like the basic Lavellan from the game.   
> As this is random drivel and not as revised as the main stuff, that may or may not end up being explained. Sorry ahead of time. XD

He stood watching the magic he had worked.

It was a half sphere, curving several feet above her sleeping form. It looked like a wall of lightening and shifted much like electricity. Every now and again, there would be a brighter spark as it caught some of her magic and redirected it back towards her. The very act of redirecting the magic had brought some colour back into her skin and he knew it had been the right choice to bring her here.

He had arranged for his Sentinels to be here, situated carefully within this keep that had once belonged to Mythal. Abelas had suggested this place and Solas had agreed. This was one of the places where the veil was thin, where the fade could be more readily felt. It strengthened him and now it was strengthening her.

Solas found himself watching her as she slept. The steady rising and falling of her chest was the only indication that she lived. If he was closer, he knew he would find other signs. A pulse in her neck and the breath from her lips. Even her magic, as broken as it was right now, was another sign to him that she still lived.

“She is surviving quite well.” Abelas said from beside him. The first thing the Sentinel had said since he had arrived.

“Yes.” Solas answered as he looked away from Ethara's face to face the Sentinel “My magic should continue to strengthen her.”

“I think she may have survived without your aid.”

“Speak your mind.” Solas said with an idle wave of his hand. He was curious as to what made the Sentinel believe such. Ethara was Dalish, as far removed from a true Elvhen as those little Orlesian dogs were from wolves, and the Dalish never seemed to cope well with being introduced to ancient Elvhen magic.

“It is more then your magic that keeps her alive right now.” Abelas said, his eyes fixated on Ethara. There was a look there that was more then just curiosity, and for a moment, Solas felt something akin to jealousy rising within him. It was quickly pushed to the side as that was simply absurd. “Surely, you can sense it?”

He quirked an eyebrow at the Sentinel before turning to look at Ethara again. There had been a time when he had studied her quite carefully, doing what he could to stem the effects of his anchor upon her hand. He had felt his magic within her, making her almost seem like an Elvhen of old. That was why he had asked her if it had changed her. If his anchor had affected the person she was. Yet, now...

She still felt Elvhen.

Pushing aside his magic for a moment, he peered into the depths of her being. There was no mistaking it. She was not like the Dalish at all. She was not immortal like him or Mythal's Sentinels but the way her very core reacted was completely Elvhen.

“That is not possible.” He stuttered as he took a step closer.

“It is not but yet it is.” Abelas shrugged at him. “The magic she touched was not meant for anyone but the Elvhen. It would have killed anyone less, you know this.”

He took a breath as he thought it over. It should not have been possible but the proof was there, staring him in the face. It had been there all along but he had been too prideful to think that there could possibly be others of his kind living, and it had never crossed his mind that Ethara might be one.

“Speak with the survivors of Clan Lavellan.” Solas said to the Sentinel. “Determine what there is to know about Ethara's past.”

Abelas bowed before stepping away. The man would do as instructed. He always did.

Ethara had given some information to him about Clan Lavellan but she had never truly gone into detail. Never once had she mentioned her family, instead referring to the whole Clan as her family and he had never pried. He had been content with the little snippets that she had given him.

Solas thought over what this meant. He knew in that moment, that even if things did not play out as he hoped they would, he would never let her return to Skyhold. The very nature of her made him realize she may survive the destruction of the veil. She may live and he could...

Solas dared not let himself think that far ahead. There was much he needed to do before he could even entertain the idea. She may not even want to remain with him after she learned what had befallen her, let alone the changes the world would experience after the veil came down.

Solas stepped inside the magical bubble, taking a breath as he felt the magic wash over him. This little space was almost like Thedas had been prior to the veil. Vibrant and alive. His magic had begun the spell but it was now sustained by the raw power in the woman before him. She was so unlike the Dalish.

Why had he never considered the possibility before?

“Because you didn't want to see.” Cole was on the other side of Ethara, allowing himself to appear as Solas approached. “You didn't want them to be real.”

“Cole.” Solas said softly as he peered at the spirit of Compassion. “Did you know?”

“Bright and shining.” Cole responded.

He had always assumed that the spirit had meant the anchor on Ethara's hand but now it was clear to him that the spirit had meant something completely different. Compared to the Dalish, she would have been bright and shining. A beacon to the spirits.

“Does she know?”

“No.” Cole answered, settling closer to Ethara. There was a look of sadness and pain in the spirit's face as he spoke. “Afraid. Stranger. Orphan. Foundling.”

He did not question Cole as he gently ran his hand against Ethara's cheek. She was no longer fevered but the symptoms of the magic were still running rampart through her body.

“You need to wake her.” Cole was still staring at Ethara.

“She needs to rest.” Solas answered. “She came in contact with a very powerful magic.”

“She will be mad.” Cole shook his head. “You need to tell her before she wakes on her own and discovers she is different.”

Solas flinched at the words. His fingers pushing a strand of red hair away from Ethara's face, tucking it neatly behind her ear. She took in a breath as he did but did not stir.

He did not want to wake her, and not just because she needed to rest. The thought that he could lose her completely weighed heavily on him. That she would rebel and flee from him.

“You're afraid.”

“I am.” Solas answered as he closed his eyes. “I cannot undo this and... “

And he didn't want to. He clung to the hope that this would turn out for the better. There was regret for the situation that she was in but he could not change what happened, he could only look towards the future.

“She won't hate you. She wanted this too.” Cole's voice was soft. “Still wants it. Even after you left her.”

There was another flinch as he heard what the spirit said but there was hope in his words. He had discussed the future with Ethara but it had never been about them. It was always about what she would do when the Inquisition was finished. How many times had he wished to tell her who he was but he had deliberately hid the truth and kept the conversation from travelling to a place about them.

Despite all he hoped, he was now in a place between that hope and his duty.

He had to restore the people but he knew he could endanger his family.

His family. That thought made his heart sing in a way it had not since the early days of Elvhenan.

“If you do not wake her...” Cole's voice became direct.

“Cole?” Solas stared up at the spirit in surprise.

He could see there was something different about Compassion. Despite having become more spirit, Cole almost seemed more. Solas knew that the spirit had not been bound to a mortal form but yet, there was a solidity to the being that was very unlike a spirit.

“Then I will.” Cole answered and rested his hand on Ethara's forehead.

Solas didn't even have the time to blink before Ethara's eyes shot open. The spell that held her in sleep broken by the mere touch of the spirit. He knew it was more then that, instantly realizing that Cole had pulled on the power in this little bubble to power magic that was far beyond the realm of mortal beings.

“Solas?” Ethara questioned, trying to sit up immediately. Her voice was not as rough, having that melodic tilt that he so loved.

“Easy, vhenan.” He said, placing his hand against her chest to keep her from moving too much. Seeing those golden eyes open and peering at him sent a wave of indescribable joy through him. They were as bright as they should be, full of life and just a faint bit of confusion. “You are safe.”

“Where am I?” She allowed him to settle her back down onto the bed.

“You're within a place that once belonged to Mythal.” He said soothingly. “You were badly ill.”

“How did you find out?” Ethara sounded a bit upset over that. “I was keeping you out of my dreams.”

His heart fell a little at her words. He had never considered that she would have been wanting to keep him from her dreaming but then, he had never really given her a choice about his presence there either.

“It does not matter.” He said simply, keeping the hurt out of his voice. It made sense for her to hide her dreams but that didn't mean that it didn't sting. “You must remain within the boundaries of the spell until things have subsided.”

“Spell? What?” She looked around and saw the energy crackling around them. “What in the void...?”

“It will not harm you.” Solas continued. “It is merely channelling your magic back into you.”

It was also drawing on his own magic to bolster her own but she didn't need to know about that, not right now.

“Alright... care to explain what you did this time?” Her tone was accusatory.

“Me?” He blinked, surprised that she would blame him for this. “Vhenan, you did this. Your condition is from touching an object belonging to Mythal.”

“So, I got magically poisoned from something belonging to Mythal and you what? Kidnap me from Skyhold?”

“You are not poisoned.” He hissed it under his breath. “And yes, I took you from Skyhold. They are unable to deal with your condition.”

He suddenly regretted her being awake. She was angry and irritated, and he had not come up with a way to explain this gently to her. His feelings of euphoria over the possibilities were quickly being drowned as he tried to figure a way out of this that did not result in her reacting badly.

“You have no right.” Ethara crossed her arms, glaring at him. “I tried to convince you to come back so many times when I slept. You were always there, watching me but you continued to choose to avoid me. Now, I get a cold and you swoop in like some hero. Take me back to Skyhold. Now.”

“That is not possible at the moment.” Solas leaned away from her, even as those eyes sparked angrily at him. “You must remain here, the veil is too strong at Skyhold for me to work the magic needed to stop your symptoms.”

“Then I will deal with the symptoms.” She was still glaring.

“No.” He shook his head. “If you persist in thinking such, I will return you to slumbering.”

“Why? So you can sneak into my dreams and stalk me there too?”

The terrible part of all this was that he knew that her anger was justified. He hadn't even said as much as a hello to her until he took her arm and the anchor. Since then, he'd just wandered her dreams. All he had wanted was for her to live in peace but he couldn't keep himself away from her, and it wasn't entirely fair to either of them.

“You need to calm.” Cole finally spoke to her, causing Ethara's head to whip in that direction. “It's affecting the baby.”

Solas flinched as Cole did what he had not done. Simply just put the truth out there for Ethara to hear it.

“The... the what...?” Ethara's voice was a squeak.

“The baby.” Cole said as he rested his hand on her stomach. “So small and so bright.”

“...The fuck?!” Her voice shook and she looked somewhere between anger and panic. Her hand quickly slapping at Cole's, causing the spirit to draw away from her and faded just a little. She sat upright completely, pushing the blanket down from her chest.

Solas hunched a little even as her emotions got the better of her. Energy crackling around her as she glared at him. Whatever response he had been hoping for, this was definitely not it.

Her magic was unfocused but he felt it hit him like a slap. Above them, the sparkling intensified as it picked up the radiating energy that was practically exploding off of Ethara. Solas quickly put up a barrier on the other side of the energy field. He would be able to handle whatever she threw at him but he wasn't so certain about the rest of the temple.

“Explain. Now.” Ethara's voice was pure anger as those golden eyes flashed.

“The artifact that you touched was designed for a specific purpose.” Solas said quickly. “A boon normally for couples having difficulty _conceiving._ ” He almost choked on the word.

“Well, there seems to be a problem there given that I'm not part of a couple.” There was definite bite to those words. “And given that I haven't actually attempted the act that leads to conception, I sincerely –“

“It was normally used in tandem with the fade.” Solas cut her off and attempted to explain further. He'd consider what she was saying at another time.

“So, what... a magical fade baby?” It sounded almost derogatory the way she said it. There was still anger in her voice but at least she wasn't trying to destroy the room.

“Not quite.” Solas took a deep breath, mentally cursing Mythal for this. “Normally, the couple would lay together but it was not completely necessary. The magic draws on the spiritual energy of both to form the new life, allowing it to begin taking form as it would a spirit forming.”

“So... magical spirit baby.”

“You have been hanging out with Sera too much, I see.” He said in exasperation. “Yes, it could be considered more like a spirit but it is a real child.”

“Would you prefer me to completely freak out?” Ethara asked him. “I've been sick for weeks, wake up to find myself kidnapped and apparently pregnant with the Dread Wolf's spirit baby.”

“Well... I... No, no I would not prefer you to completely freak out as you put it.” He sighed.

“Alright, so how did it decide to pick _you_ as my other half.” She asked, but there was at least a little more gentleness in her voice compared to the anger earlier.

“You have not considered another.” He said flatly, trying to keep the joy out of his voice at that thought.

“Well, it's not like you have been allowing me to move on, Solas.”

“I apologize for that.” He sighed. She was right about that and he knew it. He started speaking and stopped several times. There was no explanation he could give her for his actions that did not seem as selfish as he knew they were.

“He wanted to. Tried to. Let her go. Let her live.” Cole's voice reminded them all that he was still there. “Had to see her again. Hear her sing, see her smile. Eyes shining like gold in the moonlight. She is be-”

“That's enough Cole.” Solas raised his voice, cutting off the spirit.

“He missed you.” Cole ignored him and continued to speak to Ethara. “He didn't mean for this to happen.”

“I truly did not.” Solas said with a nod, looking down at his hands. “I would never force you into something like this. Had I realized, I would have intervened.”

“Why in the ever loving fucking void would something like that be left around?” Ethara's voice had become high pitched.

“I had believed that most of Mythal's objects were destroyed.” Solas answered truthfully. “Had I known you were in that area, and that it still existed, I would have taken care of it.”

“Well, a little late for that.” She said bitterly.

“Ethara.... vhenan.” His voice became soft as he leaned over to take her hand. “I swear to you, I will help you through this and I will not stop whatever decision you make.”

It hurt to say the words but he knew he could not just make any decision for her. If it was up to him, he knew precisely what he would do. He would keep her with him, the two of them raising their child together. She would grow old but he would never leave her side.

That was what he hoped for but he still had a duty, just as she did to the Inquisition.

No, he knew that she had to make the decision for both of them.

“I... I need time to think.” She swallowed. “Alone.”

He struggled with he words before nodding and getting to his feet.

“As you wish. I will be near if you need me.”

Solas strode away from her even as he tried to cope with the emotions running through him. He would wait until she made her decision before he decided on his own.

“That means you as well, Cole.” Ethara's terse voice echoed through the room as he closed the door behind him.

Whether Ethara realized it or not, she now held the fate of the people firmly in her hands.

 


End file.
